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Sonoma Raceway is launching a new experiential automotive program that will allow drivers of all skill levels to enjoy the high-speed thrills of the premier wine country motorsports venue.

The Sears Point Racing Experience will offer high-performance driving courses, racing programs, safe driver training, corporate outings, manufacturer showcases, go-karting and more.  Programs can utilize the raceway’s vehicle fleet or customers can test their own cars on the famed 2.52-mile road course.

The new venture, launched Jan. 1, builds upon instruction platforms and assets previously operated by the Simraceway Performance Driving Center.  New programs, schedules and options will be rolled out in the coming months.  All programs and gift cards previously purchased from Simraceway will be honored and executed by the Sears Point Racing Experience.

The new venture continues the facility’s 46-year history of hosting an on-site racing school. Since 1973, the raceway has been home to four different top-tier performance driving/racing schools beginning with the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving (1973-1990), Skip Barber Racing School (1990-1995), Jim Russell Racing Drivers School (1995-2006) and Simraceway Performance Driving Center (2006-2019).

“The hands-on automotive experience has always been the core of our day-to-day business and the demand for these activities has grown dramatically over the last decade,” said Steve Page, Sonoma Raceway president and general manager.  “We are very excited to launch this new venture and to further integrate these behind-the-wheel opportunities with our existing menu of customer experiences.”

The Racing Experience will operate from the existing 18,000-square foot facility adjacent to Turn 1 of the 12-turn road course; karting operations will also continue at the ¾-mile Sonoma Raceway Karting Center.

The raceway will host a formal grand-opening for the Sears Point Racing Experience at a later date. For more information on available programs and opportunities, visit www.searspointracing.com or call 800-733-0345. The Sears Point Racing Experience is also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @racesearspoint.

Altura Apartments

General contractor Midstate Construction Corporation and developer The Reliant Group recently completed construction of Altura Apartments, a new 150 unit market-rate apartment facility in Petaluma, CA.

This project features ground up construction of 150 one and two bedroom luxury apartments. Units include quartz countertops, plank flooring, stainless steel appliances, private patios, and stackable washers & dryers. 23 units have been reserved for residents earning less than 60% of the area median income. Additionally, 9 of the 23 units are reserved for residents earning less than 50% of the area median income.

The 200,000 square foot site includes club house, fitness room, bocce ball court, 24-hour parcel lockers, spin room with Peloton bikes, outdoor firepit & gas BBQ grill, playground, community garden, heated saltwater pool, hot tub, dog park and electric car charging stations.

Normalcy, it turns out, smells a lot like freshly baked pizza.

Mountain Mike’s Pizza, one of nearly a dozen Santa Rosa restaurants that were destroyed in the 2017 wildfires, reopened its doors Friday, the latest milestone in the city’s long and difficult recovery.

The new 4,400-square-foot restaurant on Cleveland Avenue is more than a pizzeria — it’s a place for the local community to gather, said Jeff Okrepkie, founder of Coffey Strong, a group of Coffey Park residents that banded together to help neighbors connect and rebuild. For residents of fire-ravaged Coffey Park, the restaurant’s opening is a hopeful sign that businesses are returning to support them, he said.

“This is the first business we lost that’s come back,” said Okrepkie, who stopped by the pizzeria Friday.

Located a little over a half-mile south of its original location, the new Mountain Mike’s is the third restaurant to reopen after being destroyed. Sweet T’s and Willi’s Wine Bar have both recently reopened at new locations in Windsor and in Santa Rosa’s Town and Country shopping center.

A fourth, Cricklewood, has not announced plans to reopen.

“It’s a piece of the neighborhood and community that’s coming back,” said Okrepkie. “This is just one of those last pieces.”

Sonu Chandi, president and CEO of Chandi Hospitality Group, which operates the restaurant, said rebuilding was never a question.

“We have faced many challenges after the fires that ravaged our area, and there have been many obstacles during this rebuilding process. There has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears that have gone into making this rebuild a reality,” said Chandi, whose family owns five Mountain Mike’s restaurants in Sonoma County as well as downtown eateries Bollywood, Mercato, Stout Brothers and Beer Baron.

The expanded pizzeria has a full bar, seating for 160, patio, a game room, 20 beer taps and its own brewery. It was designed to be more of a hangout than a take-out pizzeria, costing the business more $1 million to rehab and more than a year to complete.

Rather than rebuilding on their old lot, which still stands vacant, the family took over the lease from a long-empty restaurant and nightclub at the intersection of Cleveland and Russell Avenue to speed the process of reopening.

“It was basically just four walls,” said Joti Chandi, who led the Mountain Mike’s reopening.

In total, the loss of the restaurant cost the company upwards of $750,000, along with a number of staff who moved away from the county due to the cost and availability of housing after the fires, according to Sonu Chandi. They have retained seven of the 16 original Cleveland Avenue staff members, including general manager Katie Chapman, many of whom worked at other Mountain Mike’s locations while the space was renovated.

“I put a lot of work into that store,” said Chapman, who had been promoted to management before the Tubbs fire destroyed the former location. “I lived down the street, and I remember waking up and smelling the smoke. I called Manu (Chandi) and she said we lost everything. I just started crying. It was my second home.”

The first night of the fires was also harrowing for Joti Chandi, the company’s chief operating officer. After receiving an alarm call he went to the store with hopes of saving it. He quickly realized fire had already taken hold.

“I thought I could put out the fire. It was heartbreaking to see our building, but there was smoke everywhere,” he said.

Following the fires, the family started delivering pizza to shelters and raised more than $50,000 for fire victims. “We couldn’t really do anything, so we just started delivering pizza,” said Joti Chandi.

Throughout Friday’s lunch rush, patrons stopped in for pizza and salad, checking out the new space.

Contractor Chris Grabill, who stopped in for lunch said he appreciated the Chandi group rebuilding in the neighborhood rather than leaving.

“It’s both rare and a testament to our community that people that lost everything understand the responsibility of rebuilding in the community. “It’s not the easiest road to take, but it shows a sense of responsibility,” he said.

“The only way you’re going to have community again is to have a place for families to gather again. It’s important to have a place to enjoy each others company,” Grabill said.

Hugging old friends and welcoming new patrons, on Friday, the Chandi family said they were proud to be able to bring the restaurant back.

“This new location will show the Coffey Park community that when we all work together, we can build better and stronger. We know many friends and patrons who lived in that community so it’s very personal for us, and our new location will start new fresh memories for many families,” Sonu Chandi said.

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/9742703-181/mountain-mikes-pizza-reopens-santa?sba=AAS&artslide=1

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: BMRN) today reported positive final results from its randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of vosoritide.  The placebo-adjusted change from baseline in growth velocity after one year of treatment with vosoritide, the primary endpoint, was 1.6 cm/yr (p<0.0001).  Vosoritide is an investigational, once daily injection analog of C-type Natriuretic Peptide (CNP).  The study enrolled 121 children aged 5 to 14 with achondroplasia, the most common form of disproportionate short stature.  The results were consistent across the broad patient population studied.  Vosoritide was generally well tolerated with no clinically significant blood pressure decreases.  Based on these results, the Company plans to meet with health authorities in the first half of 2020 to discuss plans for submitting marketing applications.

“This is an important milestone that further reinforces our confidence in the tremendous potential of vosoritide.  The placebo-controlled study demonstrated a strong increase in growth velocity across the broad population studied,” said Hank Fuchs, M.D., President Worldwide Research and Development at BioMarin. “These results when combined with the long-term benefits seen in the Phase 2 study provide hope for a significant and sustained benefit for children with achondroplasia.  We appreciate the children and their families who have participated in this development program, and we look forward to discussing plans for submitting marketing applications with health authorities.  We also plan to present the detailed data from this study at an upcoming medical meeting.”

“As a treating physician, it is exciting to see these compelling results of an investigational therapy confirming its potential to be the first medical therapy to treat the underlying cause of achondroplasia,” said John A. Phillips, III, M.D., Vanderbilt University Medical Center (David T Karzon Professor of Pediatrics).  “Importantly, this data adds to an increasing body of scientific data on a potential breakthrough in the treatment for achondroplasia.”

“Growing Stronger supports medical research that has the potential to improve the quality of medical care and make a significant impact on the lives of little people,” said Amer Haider, Founder and President of Growing Stronger. “We are hopeful that supporting research and continuing advances in science will accelerate the development of therapeutic choices for families, where there are no medicines available today.”

Growing Stronger’s mission is to improve the quality of medical care for people through supporting research. The organization raises nonprofit donations that are granted to researchers focused on dwarfism.

Description of Phase 3 Study

The global Phase 3 study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of vosoritide in 121 children with achondroplasia aged 5 to 14 for 52 weeks. (The enrollment age criteria is 5 to 18 per the study protocol.) Vosoritide is being tested in children whose growth plates are still open. This is approximately 25% of people with achondroplasia.  Children in this study have completed a minimum six-month baseline study to determine their respective baseline growth velocity prior to entering the Phase 3 study.  The primary endpoint of the study is the change in growth velocity from baseline over one year in children treated with vosoritide compared to placebo.   A wide range of secondary and exploratory endpoints include anthropometric measures such as height Z-score, body and limb proportionality and joint geometry; biochemical, biomarker and radiological assessments of bone growth and health; and evaluations of health-related quality of life (HRQoL), developmental status, and functional independence. These additional endpoints address the overall impact vosoritide has on achondroplasia and will continue to be evaluated in an ongoing open-label extension study where all subjects receive active treatment.

Vosoritide Safety

Vosoritide, administered at 15ug/kg/day in this Phase 3 randomized, double-blinded placebo-controlled study over one year, was generally well tolerated.  The majority of adverse events (AEs) were mild and no serious adverse events were reported as study drug-related.  Injection site reactions were the most common drug-related AEs, and all were transient.  No clinically significant blood pressure decreases or new safety findings were observed.

About Achondroplasia

Achondroplasia, the most common form of disproportionate short stature in humans, is characterized by slowing of endochondral ossification, which results in disproportionate short stature and disordered architecture in the long bones, spine, face and base of the skull. This condition is caused by a mutation in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 gene (FGFR3), a negative regulator of bone growth. Beyond disproportionate short stature, people with achondroplasia can experience serious health complications, including foramen magnum compression, sleep apnea, bowed legs, mid-face hypoplasia, permanent sway of the lower back, spinal stenosis and recurrent ear infections. Some of these complications can result in the need for invasive surgeries such as spinal cord decompression and straightening of bowed legs. In addition, studies show increased mortality at every age.

More than 80% of children with achondroplasia have parents of average stature and have the condition as the result of a spontaneous gene mutation.  The worldwide incidence rate of achondroplasia is about one in 25,000 live births.  Vosoritide is being tested in children whose growth plates are still “open,” typically those under 18 years of age. This is approximately 25% of people with achondroplasia.  In the U.S., Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, there are currently no licensed medicines for achondroplasia.

About BioMarin

BioMarin is a global biotechnology company that develops and commercializes innovative therapies for patients with serious and life-threatening rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases. The company’s portfolio consists of seven commercialized products and multiple clinical and pre-clinical product candidates. For additional information, please visit www.biomarin.com. Information on such website is not incorporated by reference into this press release.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements about the business prospects of BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BioMarin), including, without limitation, statements about: the development of BioMarin’s vosoritide development program generally and specifically about the results of the Phase 3 trial, the continued clinical development of vosoritide and the timing and conduct of such clinical program; the possible results of such studies, and discussions with health authorities about marketing applications. These forward-looking statements are predictions and involve risks and uncertainties such that actual results may differ materially from these statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: final analysis of the Phase 3 data, results and timing of current and planned preclinical studies and clinical trials of vosoritide; our ability to enroll participants into such clinical trials, our ability to successfully manufacture vosoritide; the content and timing of decisions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Commission and other regulatory authorities concerning vosoritide; and those other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the BioMarin’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including, without limitation, BioMarin’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2019, and future SEC filings and reports by BioMarin. BioMarin undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or changes in its expectations.

https://investors.biomarin.com/2019-12-16-BioMarin-Announces-Positive-Final-Results-from-Placebo-Controlled-Phase-3-Data-in-Children-with-Achondroplasia-Treated-with-Vosoritide

As the smoke begins to clear from the largest wildfire in Sonoma County history, we express our sympathy for those who suffered losses and admiration for the first responders who helped protect our community.

The Kincade fire burned more than 77,000 acres, forcing nearly 200,000 residents to evacuate their homes and dealing a blow to the local economy, especially for those in agriculture. Thousands of firefighters battled the blaze, which burned hundreds of buildings and destroyed several vineyard properties in the Alexander Valley and Chalk Hill regions.

“In times like these the agricultural community always steps up to support each other,” said American AgCredit CEO Byron Enix. “It’s heartwarming to see lifelong relationships shine through in times of need and American AgCredit is one of many to offer support to impacted customers and the local agricultural community.”

American AgCredit is working alongside agriculture industry groups to contribute relief funds to support recovery for agricultural producers and our communities.

The Association has committed to contributing $100,000 in total assistance, with $25,000 going to each of the following groups:

• Sonoma County Farm Bureau, whose relief fund is working to provide hay, feed and other livestock supplies to affected farmers.
• Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation, whose fund is providing direct support to local vineyard workers and their families impacted by the fire.
• Redwood Empire Food Bank, who continually work to bring food to those in the community who need it.
• American AgCredit Employee Relief Fund, which supports our employees who were impacted by the fires.

If you would like to join us in supporting the rebuilding and recovery efforts, please click on the links above to contribute.

In addition to these contributions, American AgCredit is making available $50 million in short term interest-free loans for customers impacted by the wildfire and related events. For other producers affected by the fire, we are able to expedite loans through our approval and closing process at market rates.

“Our commitment is to serve agriculture and our local communities,” said Clay Popko, Regional Banking Executive for Northern California. “Perhaps the most significant piece of that is how we support our current customers. Times like these are when that commitment is most important.”

About American AgCredit

Founded in 1916, American AgCredit is part of the nationwide Farm Credit System, and is the nation’s fifth largest Farm Credit cooperative. American AgCredit specializes in providing financial services to agricultural and rural customers throughout California, Nevada, Kansas, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Colorado, and New Mexico—as well as to capital markets customers throughout the country. Learn more at www.AgLoan.com.